| MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs with ∼18-24 nucleotides in length. To date, accumulating evidence has implicated the critical role of miRNA in the pathophysiology of many types of human cancers including breast cancer. The specific expression profile of miRNA may represent the fingerprint of pathological status of breast cancer. Several studies indicated that dietary components, such as folate and curcumin, have the capacity to modulate miRNA expression. To identify differentially expressed miRNA between tumor and non-tumor tissues from breast cancer patients, we developed a combined statistical method to evaluate the whole genome miRNA expression profile. Using a miRNA microarray containg a total of 687 human genes, we identified five miRNAs that were expressed at significantly lower levels in tumor tissues compared with corresponding premalignant tissues. We searched possible target genes of these 5 miRNAs by public database. Our findings suggested that this panel of miRNAs was associated with breast cancer progression and provide rationale for the future investigation of the functionality of these miRNAs. |
